Compass Clipper, Drifter and Calypso motorhomes were popular in the 1990s, followed by the Avantgarde in the 2000s, but the latter were simply Elddis Autoquest coachbuilts with different soft furnishings and graphics. When the market dipped, it was the Elddis line-up that survived as the County Durham firm simplified its offering. 

Now part of the Erwin Hymer Group, Elddis is reintroducing the Compass brand to the motorhome world (it never left the caravan arena), with the Avantgarde model name also resurfacing. And, once again, the range mirrors the Elddis Autoquest line-up’s layouts.

This time, however, there’s a pair of van conversions alongside the six low-profile coachbuilt motorhomes. The campervans are based on Fiat Ducato, while the coachbuilts on a Peugeot Boxer low-line chassis-cab.

The sextet of Avantgarde motorhomes is made up of the 115 (sub-six-metre compact two-berth with end kitchen), 155 (French bed), 175 (long front settees, spacious end washroom), 185 (fixed low-level single beds with full-width rear bathroom), 194 (single beds over a garage), and 196 (twin-lounge, six-berth). Prices start at £38,749.

All models comes with a Whale 8-litre underfloor water heater and 4kW space heating. The upholstery scheme is called Montauk, while the exterior is differentiated from Elddis equivalent models by graphics that pick up on the blue of the brand logo, rather than the red of its sister marque. Whereas up to 75% of Elddis motorhomes built are dealer specials, there are no plans currently to offer special editions of the Compass models. However, a new dealer network is being appointed for the Compass motorhomes.

Compass dealers will also be able to offer a pair of van conversions, also marketed under the Avantgarde name and sharing the Montauk soft furnishings of the coachbuilts. Both the CV20 and CV40 have a rear lounge and share most of their kitchen and bathroom design, but the CV20 is a pure two-berth with a long rear lounge (suitable for single beds). The CV40 has a shorter rear seating area in order to incorporate a half-dinette (and rear travel seats) up front.

Basis for each is the six-metre Fiat Ducato with 115bhp engine. A Comfort-Matic gearbox is available as an option (combined with the 130bhp engine), while the £1,218 Lux Pack adds cab air-conditioning, a passenger airbag and cruise control. Prices start at £37,827.

Read about all the new 2019 motorhomes and campervans in a special free supplement in the November issue of MMM magazine.